Read with Fern

The Perkins family has problems. They’re scattered across the globe. Lee, a glamorous reality-TV star, is struggling with her mental health in the spotlight. Reagan, her younger sister, has fallen for a romance scammer and vanished overseas. Cord, their charming brother, is one drink away from losing it all. And their mother, Charlotte, still longs for the love she let slip away a decade ago, a lover who sailed off with her heart to a remote island in Greece.
When Reagan disappears, Lee flies first-class to Athens to save her family—again. There, against the glittering Mediterranean and the shadow of the Acropolis, Lee contends with emotional nieces, relentless paparazzi, and her own fragile heart. Lee is desperately searching—for her sister, and for the hope and joy she thought was gone forever.

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Rating: 3 out of 5.

This book follows the Perkins family from Ward’s The Jetsetters. There’s Charlotte, the matriarch of the family, terrified she’ll be living out her final years in regret. Then Lee, the oldest daughter and glamorous reality-TV star who struggles to balance her bipolar disorder with her public-facing job. Then Cord, the only son, a venture capitalist and alcoholic, with a relationship that’s actively dying. And finally Regan, the younger daughter, who recently moved herself and her two teenage daughters to Greece.

When Regan disappears to meet a romance scammer, the rest of the Perkins family is forced to come together to take care of Regan’s daughters, Isabelle and Flora, and work with the local authorities to work on tracking down Regan. Lee immediately flies to Greece to be with the girls, and tries to balance caring for them while keeping her own head above water. Charlotte is not far behind her, while Cord faces his own monsters at home.

I was not prepared for the heavy nature of the story, which focuses on the family’s mental health issues that are aggravated by the tense situation. The characters were well-developed as a whole, and the plot was crafted with some extremely intense plot points. I would classify the overall storyline as dark, with some lighter moments. Each family member is forced to face their own demons in realistic but gritty ways.

Overall, I found myself interested in the storyline but glad it was a shorter book. While I truly felt for the characters, I was feeling just as distraught as they were, which was not what I anticipated when starting the book! I’d definitely recommend this if you loved The Jetsetters and wanted to get an even deeper dive into the Perkins family dynamics, but it’s definitely not a light summer read!

Thanks to BookSparks and Ballantine for the free book in exchange for an honest review!